Crocodile Magnets

We learned about 3 animals today -- the platypus, rainbow lorikeets, and crocodiles. I really wanted to do a platypus craft, but I couldn't find or think of one. (Please share if you have one!) So we did a croc craft instead.

You will need spring clothespins, small green pom poms, small wiggle eyes, green cardstock paper, green paint, and white paint. This is, of course, if you want a green crocodile. It really could be any color. I went ahead and painted the clothespins green the day before so the children would be able to handle them while doing the rest of the craft.

I painted everything but the front part, which will become the teeth. Then I cut small rectangles out of the green paper and cut one side of them with a zig-zag scissors. Then I creased them down the middle.

These will become the scales on the croc's back/tail. The first thing the kids did was paint the "teeth" white, even the inside, which they had to do by squeezing the clothespin open. Then they put glue down the "back" of the croc and stuck on two of the rectangles, making sure the pointy ends were up and they were opposite each other. Then they glued on two green pom poms and two wiggle eyes onto the pom poms. This is where it got tricky. Those things are so darn small! Some kids were getting frustrated. If I ever do this project again, I think I will use jumbo clothespins. I just had these regular-sized ones left over from another project, so that's why I used them this time.

Now, keep in mind that the mouth has wet paint in it and to prevent it from being painted shut, you need to squeeze the clothespins open every couple of minutes for the first 15 minutes or so. No big deal. It only takes a second. I decided to put a self-adhesive magnet to the back of each one so they can go on the fridge and hold art work that the kids bring home.

Never smile at a crocodile

Never tip your hat and stop to talk awhile

Never run, walk away

Say g'night, not g'day

Never tip your hat and smile at Mr. Crocodile!

Fun Fact: If a crocodile has just eaten and isn't hungry, it will let its favorite prey swim or walk on by.

On a side note, one of the girls in my class casually mentioned her grandma lives in Australia. I was floored! I asked her if she had anything she could bring in. And she did. Take a look at this:

That's an emu egg. (It's been emptied.) It was very exciting for everyone in the class. And I love how she brought it in a little Easter basket!

Oh, and we also colored Rainbow Lorikeets today. Have you ever seen these birds? They are so colorful! I just found a coloring sheet through Google and we used oil pastels to make them extra bright.

Still looking for that platypus craft...